Bellator President Scott Coker addressed the failed test results in a statement sent out on Friday:

“I want to make very clear that under new management, Bellator will simply not stand for performance enhancing drugs inside our cage. We fully support the California State Athletic Commission in their process, and standby any disciplinary action handed out by Commissioner Andy Foster and the CSAC. Fans, media and our athletes need to have a clear understanding that drug use will simply not be tolerated by Bellator.”

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[ads2]]]>http://prommanow.com/2014/10/31/four-bellator-127-fighters-fail-drug-tests-coker-responds/feed/0Bellator 116 live resultshttp://prommanow.com/2014/04/11/bellator-116-live-results/
http://prommanow.com/2014/04/11/bellator-116-live-results/#commentsFri, 11 Apr 2014 23:23:21 +0000http://prommanow.com/?p=127404Bellator 116 goes down tonight from Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, Calif., and feature the Bellator Heavyweight, Middleweight and Welterweight tournament semifinals. Lavar Johnson and Blagoi Ivanov clash in the Heavyweight headliner.
Aside from Johnson, quite a few other UFC vets and recognizable names are on this card including Rob Emerson, Vladimir Matyushenko, Karo Parisyan, Joey Beltran, Poppies Martinez and Rodney Wallace.
Bellator 116 will broadcast live on Spike TV beginning at 9 p.m. EST, while the prelims be streamed live and free on Spike.com 7 p.m. EST.

KO of the Night goes to Alexander Volkov for this head kick KO of Mighty Mo:
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="320"] GIF courtesy of @ZProphet_MMA[/caption]
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[ads2]]]>http://prommanow.com/2014/04/11/bellator-116-live-results/feed/2Bellator MMA: Jared Downing to face Patricio Pitbull on July 31http://prommanow.com/2013/07/13/bellator-mma-jared-downing-to-face-patricio-pitbull-on-july-31/
http://prommanow.com/2013/07/13/bellator-mma-jared-downing-to-face-patricio-pitbull-on-july-31/#respondSat, 13 Jul 2013 14:32:05 +0000http://prommanow.com/?p=117850A labrum injury has forced Rob “The Saint” Emerson off of the July 31stfight card, where he was originally scheduled to face longtime Bellator veteran Patricio Pitbull.
That won’t stop Pitbull from stepping in the cage, as Jared Downing will now battle the explosive Brazilian striker live on Spike TV. The night will also feature a Bellator Lightweight World Title fight as defending Bellator Champion Michael Chandler puts his title on the line against David “The Caveman” Rickels, while Bellator Welterweight Champion Ben Askren will defend his title against Russian phenom Andrey Koreskov.
“This is a great opportunity for me, one I couldn’t pass up,” Downing said. “I’m happy to be back with Bellator and really start a new chapter. I thought Patricio won his last fight against Curran, so I know I’m going to be getting one of the best featherweights in the world, and that’s why I signed with Bellator. I want to get this win, make my way into a tournament and become a Bellator World Champion.”
Only 24, Downing joins Bellator at 9-2, including a 2010 Bellator victory over Danny Tims.
“It takes a ton of heart to accept a fight less than 20 days out, especially when you have to step in the cage with one of the most dangerous men in the world in Pitbull,” Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “Jared is a guy we’ve had our eye on for a while and win or lose, he’ll make a great addition to our featherweight ranks.”
The full fight card for July 31st is below:
MAIN CARDBellator Lightweight World Title Fight: Michael Chandler (11-0) vs. David Rickels (14-1)
Bellator Welterweight World Title Fight: Ben Askren (11-0) vs. Andrey Koreschkov (13-0)
Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament Final: King Mo (10-2) vs. Jacob Noe (12-2)
Bellator Heavyweight Tournament Final: Ryan Martinez (10-2) vs. Vitaly Minakov (11-0)
Featherweight Feature Fight: Jared Downing (9-2) vs. Patricio Pitbull (17-2)
PRELIMINARY CARD:Lightweight Feature Fight: Cris Leyva (9-5) vs. Will Brooks (9-1)
Bantamweight Tournament Semifinals: Rafael Silva (19-3) vs. Rodrigo Lima (11-1)
Bantamweight Tournament Semifinals: Anthony Leone (12-5) vs. Frank Baca (16-2)
Lightweight Feature Fight: Mike Barreras (5-6) vs. Bubba Jenkins (3-0)
Bantamweight Feature Fight: Javier Palacios (1-0) vs. Richard Jacques (1-0)
Middleweight Feature Fight: Jeremy Kimball (9-3) vs. Keith Berry (15-10)
Bantamweight Feature Fight: Adrian Cruz (4-0) vs. Felipe Chavez (5-3)
Bantamweight Feature Fight: Steve Garcia (1-0) vs. Shawn Bunch (1-0)
Featherweight Feature Fight: Cliff Wright Jr. (7-4) vs. Donald Sanchez (28-13)]]>http://prommanow.com/2013/07/13/bellator-mma-jared-downing-to-face-patricio-pitbull-on-july-31/feed/0Bellator MMA 97 full fight card for July 31 in Albuquerquehttp://prommanow.com/2013/07/09/bellator-mma-97-full-fight-card-for-july-31-in-albuquerque/
http://prommanow.com/2013/07/09/bellator-mma-97-full-fight-card-for-july-31-in-albuquerque/#commentsTue, 09 Jul 2013 17:53:58 +0000http://prommanow.com/?p=117707[ads1]Bellator Fighting Championships' Summer Series returns with Bellator MMA 97 on Wednesday, July 31, at the Santa Ana Star Center in Albuquerque, N.M. The event is headlined with two title fights as lightweight champ Michael Chandler takes on David Rickels, and welterweight champ Ben Askren takes on Andrey Koreshkov live on Spike TV.
Bellator MMA 97 also features the Summer Series Light Heavyweight Tournament Finals as King Mo matches wits and fisticuffs with Memphis brawler Jacob Noe. Also, Vitaly Minakov takes on Ryan Martinez in the Heavyweight Tournament Finals.
The preliminary card will kick off on Spike.com starting at 6 p.m. ET, with main card action getting underway on Spike TV at 7 p.m. ET. ProMMAnow.com (www.prommanow.com) will provide LIVE results and play-by-play commentary for the fights.
The full Bellator MMA 97 fight card includes:
MAIN CARD

[ads2]]]>http://prommanow.com/2013/07/09/bellator-mma-97-full-fight-card-for-july-31-in-albuquerque/feed/1Bellator 97: Askren vs. Koreshkov welterweight title fight set for July 31http://prommanow.com/2013/05/21/bellator-97-askren-vs-koreshkov-welterweight-title-fight-set-for-july-31/
http://prommanow.com/2013/05/21/bellator-97-askren-vs-koreshkov-welterweight-title-fight-set-for-july-31/#respondWed, 22 May 2013 02:01:52 +0000http://prommanow.com/?p=115375
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[ads2]The Bellator MMA promotion returns to Albuqurque, New Mexico, on July 31 when welterweight champion Ben Askren looks to defend his title against Audrey Koreshkov in the main event of Bellator 97.
The night will also feature the long awaited conclusion to the Bellator Welterweight Tournament Finals as Douglas Lima takes faces Ben Saunders in a second epic battle, while featherweights collide as Patricio Pitbull returns to battle Rob Emerson.
The event has a special early start time and will broadcast LIVE starting at 5:00 p.m. MST on Spike. The preliminary card will be streamed LIVE and FREE on Spike.com starting at 4:00 p.m. MST. Tickets for the event are on sale now and can be purchased at ComcastTix.com or by visiting the Santa Ana Star Center Box Office with tickets starting at just $25 dollars.
Askren seems to be excited about getting in the cage again and showing improvements in his game while building on the momentum from his last fight:
“I’m really looking forward to getting back into that cage and putting on a show,” Askren said. “I feel like I’ve continued to mature and get better in every one of my fights, and July 31st should be no different. I don’t think Andrey has any ability to stop my wrestling and ground attack, so this will be another successful title defense.”
Koreshkov went (5-0) in 2012 and will look to end of title reign of Askren in devastating fashion:
"I'll be 110% ready for this fight,” Koreshkov said. “I'll make sure that Askren's tactics to put everybody in the audience to sleep won't work this time. Instead, I'll keep everybody entertained by putting him to sleep."
Stay tuned to ProMMAnow.com for more Bellator 97 news and coverage.]]>http://prommanow.com/2013/05/21/bellator-97-askren-vs-koreshkov-welterweight-title-fight-set-for-july-31/feed/0The Project Files: The Tachi Shufflehttp://prommanow.com/2011/11/25/the-project-files-the-tachi-shuffle/
http://prommanow.com/2011/11/25/the-project-files-the-tachi-shuffle/#respondFri, 25 Nov 2011 22:25:41 +0000http://prommanow.com/?p=80021

“The Tachi Shuffle”

I guess that this is one of those roller-coaster rides where right when you think that it is over… BOOM, you hit that huge downhill or some crazy loopy thing.
After last week’s blog, I assumed the worst was over and was I was wrong.
Three more changes will be made to the Tachi Palace Fights 11 fight card… the most difficult will be replacing headliner Ian McCall, who has easily become one of the great characters in MMA today.
McCall had to withdraw this week with a rib injury, which sent me scrambling.
I got the call from his manager Jason House, but as if the news of McCall pulling off wasn’t enough I get “I’ve been dreading this phone call all morning”.
So, there’s more Jason?
“Yeah, [Rob] Emerson is out too with an injury,” he explains.
House follows up like most good managers with doctor’s notes, not that I ever really thought either was lying about their injury. But it is a great gesture.
He offers up a few ideas and replacements as well.
And right now as I pound away at these keys at 8:45 a.m. on Friday morning, most of the world is either battling it out in department stores on Black Friday or still sleeping their Thanksgiving turkey off.
Meanwhile, I’m waiting… and waiting and waiting some more. Stressed out and wondering how things will come together.
The situation looks a little something like this. Richard Goodman (TPF matchmaker) and I had three different options we were looking at with the loss of McCall.
First, we could have scrapped the fight completely and saved some money on budget. I hate doing that type of thing and leave fighters that have been training and working hard without a payday, but sometimes it is a necessary evil in this business.
Second (and my favorite choice), replace McCall with Darrell Montague. Seems easy enough, except Montague wasn’t preparing for a fight and while Montague is in shape, he is nowhere near fight weight. His camp asked for the fight at 135 and they’d take it.
Of course I knew that wouldn’t go over so well with the Rave camp. It’s difficult to ask them to come up 10 pounds when they’re ready for 125. In fact, [Josh] Rave was under 130 when we discussed these options. Not to mention he’s a guy that’s always had to fight out of his natural weight class.
After much debate with the Rave camp we finally settled on 132 pounds…. And here is where the waiting game comes into play.
I inform Montague, his coaches and management that we can do the fight at 132. Basically asking them to come down three more pounds and I know those will be three tough pounds to shed.
I immediately get the text from Montague “I’m in”.
But then there’s a follow up text from his manager and trainer saying they don’t want the fight unless it is at 135.
Of course this is all taking place through text message and throughout the course of Thanksgiving.
Montague’s manager Steve Lara asks me to hold off ‘til after practice today and see where his weight will be at and at that time they’ll let me know if they’ll accept the fight or not.
This brings us to option No. 3 which would be to cut the fight and instead of save on budget we would add a totally different fight on one week’s notice. Another difficult task.
Filling Emerson’s spot was a bit easier, as House had a lightweight that was ready and had his medicals done – Robert Washington.
Savant Young is eager to fight and I think he would accept Frankie Edgar at this point, so he wasn’t opposed the matching with the 11-4 Washington.
Earlier in the week I was struggling again with a Bubba Jenkins’ opponent as Jason Williams pulled out because he had some unexpected work obligations, but his brother Josh was eager to fill in… why not? Seems like an interesting story still, as now the brother fills in against the NCAA wrestling champ.
Dealing with all these issues while finishing up medicals, working on production issues, collecting tickets and ticket money, etc. etc. etc.
Like I’ve said before, if I had hair I would be pulling it out.
I still feel like this is a great fight card and we will pull through in the end.
And I haven’t even started to stress about the Sherdog.com Live Stream as of yet.
********************
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jeremy.luchau
Twitter: @TheProject23
Email: jeremy.luchau@gmail.com
Special Thanks: Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino (www.tachipalace.com), Fairtex (www.fairtex.com) and Hostility Clothing (www.hostilityclothing.com).
“The Project Files” by Jeremy Luchau is a weekly blog series here at ProMMAnow.com which gives readers an inside look into the life of an MMA promoter. It is part of our ongoing series of exclusive content written by individuals involved in the mixed martial arts industry.]]>http://prommanow.com/2011/11/25/the-project-files-the-tachi-shuffle/feed/0Gibson vs. Gomez at Tachi Palace Fights 11 on Dec. 2http://prommanow.com/2011/11/22/gibson-vs-gomez-at-tachi-palace-fights-11-on-dec-2/
http://prommanow.com/2011/11/22/gibson-vs-gomez-at-tachi-palace-fights-11-on-dec-2/#respondWed, 23 Nov 2011 03:26:12 +0000http://prommanow.com/?p=79942Lemoore, Calif. – Cody Gibson and Ulysses Gomez seemed to be headed in much different paths.
Gibson (5-1) was fresh off of a victory of Walel Watson (9-2) that thrust the Visalia, Calif. bantamweight into the Tachi Palace Fights title picture against Farkhad Sharipov (13-5), who had just defeated Tommy Vargas (8-2) on the same card.
In September, Gomez (8-2) bounced back with a bantamweight victory over Drew Bittner (4-2) and was looking to move back down to flyweight in December.
But the mixed martial arts gods had other ideas… Sharipov signed with Bellator, leaving an opening for the bantamweight title on Dec. 2 and the Las Vegas, Nev. grappler Gomez was quick to seize the opportunity.
“It’s a big honor that Tachi thinks enough about me to give me an opportunity to fight for the 135-pounhd title,” Gomez explained. “I’m looking to make the most out of the opportunities that are given to me.”
Gomez has openly said that his goal is still to get back to flyweight and fight for Tachi gold at that weight class as well, but couldn’t pass up a shot at a title at 135 pounds.
Gibson understands why.
“It feels good to be fighting for that title. Look at where the two guys that held that belt before are at now. They’ve both moved on to bigger things,” Gibson said. “I’m really excited to be fighting for that title.”
Former Tachi Palace Fights Bantamweight champions include the red-hot Ultimate Fighting Championship contender Michael McDonald (14-1) and UFC vet and WEC legend Cole Escovedo (17-9).
Although Gibson doesn’t carry the credentials of Gomez, he still is a worthy opponent. He snapped Watson’s 7-fight win streak with a dominating performance and then watched Watson get scooped up by the UFC one fight later.
“Cody is a really good wrestler and a game fighter. You can’t sleep on him,” said Gomez, who has competed against some of the world’s top flyweight fighters. “I think this should be an exciting fight.”
Tachi Palace Fights will stream live and free on Sherdog.com at 5:30 p.m. (PST).
The stream will be blacked out to fans within 100 mile radius of the Palace unless there is a sellout.
Tickets can be purchased at www.tachipalace.com or charge by phone at 1-800-225-2277. Tickets may also be purchased at the Tachi Palace Gift Shop and start at a low price of just $35 for general admission seating.
Gibson has been designated the underdog for this fight. It seems like a role the former Menlo College wrestler is comfortable with.
“Ulysses is great on the ground. I know he is a brown belt at Cobra Kai. I’ve seen all of his fights,” Gibson said. “I know what he is going to bring to the table. He isn’t bad on his feet… I mean he is no Jose Aldo, but he isn’t a fish out of water either.”
Gibson didn’t want to go into too much detail about his plans for the fight but did say that “At the end of the night, I think this is going to be a good fight”.
Meanwhile, Gomez thinks he might have the fight figured out.
“I kind of can see the fight in all different aspects. We will start on the feet, but I do see him trying to take me down and I see myself subbing him if he is able to do that,” Gomez said.
In the main event, TPF Flyweight champion Ian McCall (11-2) puts his belt and World No. 1 ranking on the line against Omaha, Neb.’s Josh Rave (18-8). San Clemente, Calif.’s McCall was originally scheduled to meet Will Campuzano, but an injury forced Campuzano out of action and Rave took the fight on short notice.
Isaac DeJesus returns to action after a 6-month suspension by the California State Athletic Commission and will face Riverside, Calif.’s Georgi Karakhanyan (16-3) in the co-main event. DeJesus (9-3) was stripped of his TPF Featherweight title in May after failing to make weight.
In other bouts:
-Lemoore, Calif. welterweight Andrew Martinez (7-3-1) vs. Merced, Calif.’s Phil Collins (10-7).
-Newport Beach, Calif. lightweight Rob Emerson (11-10) vs. Pasadena, Calif.’s Savant Young (9-8).
-Oakdale, Calif. bantamweight Brad McDonald (7-1) vs. Buena Park, Calif.’s Francisco Rivera (5-2).
-Virginia Beach, Va. lightweight Bubba Jenkins (0-0) vs. Clovis, Calif.’s Josh Williams (0-0).
-Firebaugh, Calif. flyweight Paul Ruiz (2-0) vs. Gilroy, Calif.’s Anthony Figueroa (5-6-1).
-Lemoore, Calif. featherweight Sergio Quinones (7-8) vs. Merced, Calif.’s Jesse Bowen (7-6).
-Lemoore, Calif. flyweight Alex Perez (3-0) vs. Merced, Calif.’s Edgar Diaz (1-2).
-Sacramento, Calif. heavyweight Freddie Aquintania (2-0) vs. Porterville, Calif.’s Javy Ayala (2-0).]]>http://prommanow.com/2011/11/22/gibson-vs-gomez-at-tachi-palace-fights-11-on-dec-2/feed/0John Alessio vs. Rob Emerson headlines Superior Cage Combat 3 on Nov. 4 in Las Vegashttp://prommanow.com/2011/09/08/john-alessio-vs-rob-emerson-headlines-superior-cage-combat-3-on-nov-4-in-las-vegas/
http://prommanow.com/2011/09/08/john-alessio-vs-rob-emerson-headlines-superior-cage-combat-3-on-nov-4-in-las-vegas/#respondFri, 09 Sep 2011 00:12:34 +0000http://prommanow.com/?p=73309http://prommanow.com/2011/09/08/john-alessio-vs-rob-emerson-headlines-superior-cage-combat-3-on-nov-4-in-las-vegas/feed/0Shane Nelson vs. Aaron Riley set to rematch at UFC 101http://prommanow.com/2009/04/22/shane-nelson-vs-aaron-riley-set-to-rematch-at-ufc-101/
http://prommanow.com/2009/04/22/shane-nelson-vs-aaron-riley-set-to-rematch-at-ufc-101/#commentsThu, 23 Apr 2009 06:58:38 +0000http://promma.info/?p=16498http://prommanow.com/2009/04/22/shane-nelson-vs-aaron-riley-set-to-rematch-at-ufc-101/feed/1UFC FIGHT NIGHT 17 airs Feb. 7 on Spike TV live from Tampa, FLhttp://prommanow.com/2009/02/04/ufc-fight-night-17-airs-feb-7-on-spike-tv-live-from-tampa-fl/
http://prommanow.com/2009/02/04/ufc-fight-night-17-airs-feb-7-on-spike-tv-live-from-tampa-fl/#respondWed, 04 Feb 2009 19:07:01 +0000http://promma.info/?p=8925http://prommanow.com/2009/02/04/ufc-fight-night-17-airs-feb-7-on-spike-tv-live-from-tampa-fl/feed/0UFC debuts in Tampa, FL on February 7http://prommanow.com/2008/12/15/ufc-debuts-in-tampa-fl-on-february-7/
http://prommanow.com/2008/12/15/ufc-debuts-in-tampa-fl-on-february-7/#respondMon, 15 Dec 2008 23:39:14 +0000http://promma.info/?p=5985http://prommanow.com/2008/12/15/ufc-debuts-in-tampa-fl-on-february-7/feed/0UFC 87: SEEK AND DESTROY – AUGUST 9, 2008 – LIVE RESULTS & PLAY-BY-PLAYhttp://prommanow.com/2008/08/09/ufc-87-seek-and-destroy-august-9-2008-live-results-play-by-play/
http://prommanow.com/2008/08/09/ufc-87-seek-and-destroy-august-9-2008-live-results-play-by-play/#respondSun, 10 Aug 2008 02:00:25 +0000http://promma.info/?p=828http://prommanow.com/2008/08/09/ufc-87-seek-and-destroy-august-9-2008-live-results-play-by-play/feed/0